lover ≫ percy jackson

iv. a crisis averted

Lorelai woke early in the morning to a silent Cabin 10. The rest of the Aphrodite kids wouldn't be waking for hours, as the sun had yet to begin peeking its rays up through the eastern clouds. She was grateful that her cabinmates had helped her pack, as there was little she needed to do that morning besides shower and eat.

She grabbed the backpack, along with Drew's sunglasses, and headed for the Big House to eat a quick breakfast before departing camp. Percy and Annabeth were already there, their things packed neatly beside them. Lorelai's stomach twisted as she joined them. She couldn't remember feeling more nervous for anything else in her entire life.

"Hey, morning, Lorelai," Percy greeted her with a large smile as he balanced on the railing of the Big House's porch. A paper plate of scrambled eggs sat mostly finished in his lap.

"It's not every day we get to have breakfast in the Big House," Annabeth said with a sly smile. "I guess we'd better enjoy it."

A dryad served Lorelai a plate of food, which she graciously accepted. It was so early in the morning that she wasn't hungry, but she knew she would need the food to fuel her pending trip. She grabbed a goblet and imagined steaming cinnamon latte, like the ones from the coffee shop around the corner from her father's apartment, and the enchanted cup immediately filled with the heavenly-scented caramel liquid.

Esme joined them shortly after, and the group ate silently as they mentally prepared for the journey. They would be taking one of the camp vans as far west as they could. Hopefully, it would bring them to the Rocky Mountains, but demigods didn't often get far into a quest before chaos ensued. In that case, they were prepared to walk or hitch a ride with Blackjack and the other pegasi, if needed. Having Esme along, as the daughter of Hermes, would no doubt offer them some additional protection on the roads, but Hermes could only do so much against the other gods.

Percy was in good graces with most of the gods after the following summer, but one never knew what kind of monsters they would run into.

After their brief breakfast, the half-bloods piled their bags into the back of the van (even Lorelai had packed light over fear of having to ditch the van and carry the luggage) and jumped in themselves.

Esme got in the driver's seat, hanging a necklace off of the rearview mirror. When Lorelai gave her a quizzical look, she said, "It's a token of Hermes. From my dad."

"Good idea, Esme," Chiron said. It was his idea that Esme drive, after all. She wasn't necessarily the best driver, but she was the most likely to have a godly blessing behind the wheel. "I have complete faith in each and every one of you. Stay safe, and I'll see you all soon. Lorelai, this is your quest. You will do excellently. Good luck."

"Thank you," Lorelai said, a sheepish blush filling her cheeks as she hopped into the van. She let Annabeth take the front seat, even though she wanted to sit by Esme. Lorelai wasn't great at navigating, but Annabeth was a whiz with a map.

Well, Annabeth was a whiz with most things.

She settled in the backseat with Grover and Percy, the latter of whom was flipping his pen, yes that pen, back and forth in his hands. Lorelai hoped the cap didn't fly off, because the last thing she wanted to be was impaled by Riptide.

"Are you nervous?" Percy asked her.

A hesitant smile filled Lorelai's face. "How can I not be? I've never even been on a quest before, much less led one." She smirked at Percy. "Not all of us are quest veterans."

Percy shrugged as he leaned back in his seat, propping his feet up on the back of Annabeth's headrest. "You know, it's getting to the point where almost getting killed every summer with my closest friends is more normal than it is real."